


Emma, The Incredible Hulk

by magicsophicorn



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-12
Updated: 2014-09-12
Packaged: 2018-02-25 09:50:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2617457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicsophicorn/pseuds/magicsophicorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma gets very angry when people still call Regina evil.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Emma, The Incredible Hulk

**Author's Note:**

> Set in Season 2, after Snow & Emma return from the Enchanted forest but before the whole murder accusations thing.

Granny's is packed as usual, and Emma can't stop herself from looking around at everything and everyone and wanting to hug them all. She's just so damn glad to be  _home._  
  
Home.  _Huh._  
  
She still can't believe she has one. But as soon as she climbed out of that well she knew for certain that this really was home. When she saw Henry and Regina she…  
  
"Regina better stay away from Henry, or so help me…" Snow's voice in the background brings Emma out of her thoughts.  
  
"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Emma asks, certain she must have misheard.  
  
"I said that Regina better say away from Henry. I can't believe that woman. After all this time she's still just as evil as…"  
  
"Whoa, now wait a minute," Emma interrupts, "if it wasn't for Regina absorbing that death curse we never would have made it home. I don't know much about magic but 'absorbing a death curse' sounds like a pretty dangerous thing to do to help someone, you know."  
  
"It is," Snow admits, "it should have killed her." Snow's face twists and Emma wonders if she's trying to stop herself from saying something along the lines of  _"shame it didn't."_  
  
But then the words sink in and it's as if a fire lights in the pit of Emma's stomach. Emma briefly wonders if this is what Bruce Banner feels like before he turns into the Hulk, but then the sheer force of her anger overtakes her and her mouth explodes into words her brain doesn't have much control over.  
  
" _WHAT?!_?" Emma yells, drawing curious glances from everyone in the room, not that she notices, "you mean to tell me that in order to allow us to get home, Regina absorbed that death curse knowing that it would probably kill her and yet you  _still_  think she's evil and want her to stay away from Henry?  _WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?_ "  
  
"What's wrong with me?" Snow hisses, glancing around, aware that everyone in the room is watching them, "What's wrong with  _you!_  She's the one who put that death curse there in the first place! If she…"  
  
"Which she only did to protect Henry!" Emma interrupts, "And having now met Cora I've gotta say I can't blame her. That woman is… Now  _that_  woman is evil, not Regina."  
  
"You don't know what she's really like," Snow bristles, "you didn't know her before. The things she did…"  
  
"God! I am so sick of you always bringing up her past like this. How do you ever expect her to change if you keep reminding her of who she used to be? I mean, I get that she did some really terrible things, but that doesn't mean that she  _is_  evil." Snow's eyes widen and she opens her mouth to say something but Emma doesn't give her the chance, too worked up to stop her own rant.  
  
"Why can't you all see that she's trying really hard to be the kind of good person you all claim to want her to be, even while you're making it practically impossible for her to do it by constantly telling her she's evil! You guys are such hypocrites! You've all done shitty things too. Why do you all deserve second chances and she doesn't? You just… She's not… URGH!" Emma flaps her arms uselessly and grunts as her anger becomes so all consuming she can't even find the words to express herself anymore. She looks around at her companions, hoping to see someone, anyone, who agrees with her. But Henry is at school so all she sees is Snow and Charming looking almost as angry as Emma feels, although probably for different reasons, Emma thinks.  
  
Emma turns round, planning to storm out of there, and comes face to face with a stunned looking Regina.  
  
And just like that the fire in Emma's stomach goes out and she desperately tries to remember what she just said in case any of it might have hurt Regina's feelings, because that's the last thing she wants.  
  
"Regina! How long have you been stood there?" she asks, slightly panicky.  
  
"Long enough." Regina says, still looking utterly shell shocked.  
  
Emma still kind of wants to punch her parents, but now she also really wants to hug Regina. Since neither of those things would be a good idea, Emma does the only sensible thing she can think of under the circumstances and storms out of the diner without another word to any of them.  
  
Half way down the road Emma hears the familiar clicking of heels behind her and she decides to slow down and cut the woman some slack, since running in heels is never fun and Emma's feeling a little bit calmer now.  
  
But when she turns round and sees Regina hurrying towards her she feels a tiny spike of anger again, not for the same reason as before, but still anger none the less.  
  
"Did you know?" Emma demands when Regina reaches her.  
  
"Did I know what?" Regina asks frowning in confusion, clearly having picked up on the anger in Emma's voice.  
  
"Did you know when you absorbed the death curse that it might kill you?" Emma asks, quieter this time.  
  
Regina looks her dead in the eye and simply says, "Yes".  
  
For the second time that night the angry fire in Emma's stomach explodes.  
  
"What the hell were you thinking Regina?!? You shouldn't have done that! What if it had been Cora instead of us coming through? What if you had died?!? You shouldn't have risked that."  
  
Still never breaking eye contact Regina just says, so quietly that Emma almost misses it, "well, it would be no more than I deserve."  
  
Emma doesn't know how to deal with the onslaught of emotions that Regina's statement produces in her. Blinding anger at everyone else for making Regina feel that way. Compassion, mixed with sadness, for the incredible woman in front of her who most definitely does not deserve to die and does not deserve to be made to feel that she does. And then something else that Emma's not quite able to name just yet.  
  
Unable to express what she's thinking and feeling Emma does what she wanted to do earlier and throws her arms around Regina, trying to express it all in a hug.  
  
She feels Regina stiffen at the unexpected embrace but Emma doesn't let go. She realises then that she doesn't ever want to let go.  
  
Regina relaxes ever so slightly in her arms and Emma chokes out over a sob what she's only just now realising, "I'm so glad you didn't die, Regina."  
  
She feels Regina's shoulders tremble and thinks she might be crying. Emma doesn't say anything, just continues to hold her.  
  
She's not sure how long they stay like that, but eventually Regina stops trembling and Emma reluctantly pulls away.  
  
They stare at each other awkwardly for a moment before Emma breaks the silence and says, with a voice that only wavers a tiny little bit, "Maybe you could come and have dinner with me and Henry sometime? I know he'd like that. I'd like that." She adds the last part quietly.  
  
Regina stands up straighter then, smoothes out her clothes and even smiles a little as she replies.  
  
"Yes, I'd like that too."


End file.
